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Research Description

Megan Gabruk’s research explores the dynamic interplay between social and knowledge spaces, with a focus on how these forces shape cognitive diversity and the evolution of knowledge in medicine and patenting. Her work investigates the ways in which networks can either foster or constrain innovative thinking and collaboration. Currently, Megan is leading two major projects. The first project examines inventors’ team formation strategies, specifically how feelings of discomfort when choosing visibly diverse collaborators may prompt inventors to seek partners within their immediate social circles, termed compensatory homophily. This tendency can result in teams that are cognitively similar, potentially limiting the breadth of their collective expertise. To study this phenomenon, termed the diversity paradox, Megan analyzes data from more than four million patent teams, employing word embedding models, an advanced unsupervised machine learning technique, to map the landscape of inventor knowledge and measure the cognitive distance between collaborators. Her second project addresses the intersection of social and knowledge spaces within medicine. Utilizing medical claims data encompassing billions of healthcare encounters, Megan applies word embedding models to investigate how social connections among physicians influence the diffusion of knowledge, the evolution of trends in medical expertise, and the adoption of innovative practices. This research sheds light on outcomes ranging from the emergence of novel medical approaches to the broader patterns of innovation within healthcare. Through these projects, Megan aims to advance our understanding of how structural and psychological factors in professional networks impact innovation and the progression of knowledge in critical fields.

Publications

Lovette, A., Gabruk, M. E., Zhang, Y., Mick, C. R., Wilson, R. A., Olatunji, B. O., & Cole, D. A. (2023). Anxiety as a predictor of emotional and cognitive reactivity both within and between people. Cognitive Therapy and Research.

Liu, Q., Lu, R., Nestor, B. A., Lubarsky, S. R., Nick, E. A., Zhang, Y., Lovette, A.J., Gabruk, M.E., Rodgers, J.L., & Cole, D. A. (2022). Types, subtypes, and clinical correlates of peer victimization in college: A system science perspective. Psychology of Violence.

Cole, D. A., Gabruk, M. E., Nestor, B. A., Liu, Q., Lovette, A. J., Zhang, Y., & Mick, C. R. (2021). Between- versus within-person emotional and cognitive reactivity in relation to depressive symptoms. Journal of Affective Disorders, 295, 479-487. 

Zhang, Y., Cole, D. A., Mick, C. R., Lovette, A. J., & Gabruk, M. E. (2020). Cognitive reactivity to low positive and high negative affect. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 132, 103683.

Cole, D. A., Lubarsky, S. R., Nick, E. A., Cho, G. E., Nunez, M., Suarez-Cano, G., Jacquez, F. M., Mick, C. R., Zhang, Y., Lovette, A. J., Ford, M. A., Lu, R., Gabruk, M. E., & Rodgers, J. L. (2020). The Peer Victimization in College Survey: Construction and validation. Psychological Assessment, 32(9), 851-871.

Cole, D. A., Lu, R., Rights, J. D., Mick, C. R., Lubarsky, S. R., Gabruk, M. E., Lovette, A. J., Zhang, Y., Ford, M. A., & Nick, E. A. (2020). Emotional and cognitive reactivity: Validating a multilevel modeling approach to daily diary data. Psychological Assessment, 32(5), 431-441.

Cole, D. A., Lu, R., Rights, J. D., Brähmer, S. F., Lubarsky, S. R., Mick, C. R., Zhang, Y., Ford, M. A., Lovette, A. J., Gabruk, M. E., & Nick, E. A. (2020). Dynamic measures of emotional and cognitive reactivity in college students. Psychological Assessment, 32(2), 109-122.

©2021 by Megan Gabruk. Proudly created with Wix.com.

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